


My Brother's Keeper

by chromanor



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Akechi Goro Redemption, Akira goes to Kosei, Alternate Universe - Twins, Gen, Pairings undecided, Persona 5 Protagonist Has A Palace, Persona 5 Protagonist is from Inaba, kind of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-12
Updated: 2019-07-19
Packaged: 2020-05-01 22:22:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19186531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chromanor/pseuds/chromanor
Summary: Ren looked at each thief then at the ground, “There was a mementos request on the forum for a Kosei student that I looked into. His name is Kurusu Akira.”Ann pumped her fists enthusiastically, “Okay, so we’ll go to Mementos and beat some sense into him! Sounds simple”“Not exactly. I checked on the Meta-Nav and it turns out, he has a palace.”----Ren had been told by his mother not to bother his brother while he was in Tokyo, Akira was busy.Not that it would make a difference. Ren hadn't heard from his brother since he left Inaba to study music in a prestigious school in the city, not even coming home during breaks. Until Ren decided to go trapezing into his brother's heart. Literally.A Twin AU combined with a Palace AU to make a self-gratuitous character study and redemption plot.





	1. Genesis 4:9

**Author's Note:**

> Genesis 4:9  
> Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”  
> “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

This was always the most nerve-wracking part of the heist. This one particularly so since there was a not-so-insignificant chance that he would actually die afterwards. After securing the path to the treasure, they only needed to send out the calling card, but Akechi insisted on waiting until their deadline was nearer. The other Phantom Thieves were anxious and impatient, but Ren was distracted. It was exactly 2 weeks time until D-day, and it seemed as if it were both an eternity and not time at all. 

He decided to hold a meeting and just go for it. 

“Can I make a selfish request? I know there’s not much time until the big day, and as always if the decision isn’t unanimous I’ll deal with it some other way.” Akechi and the rest of the Phantom Thieves looked attentively at their leader, wide-eyed. This was probably the most any of them had heard him talk at once. 

Ren looked at each thief then at the ground, “There was a mementos request on the forum for a Kosei student that I looked into. His name is Kurusu Akira.”

Yusuke blinked in recognition “Ah yes, I’ve heard of him. A second year attending with a music scholarship, I believe.”

Akechi perked up “A music scholarship? Any relation to Kurusu Junpei? He’s a pianist who had been making waves in the classical world before his untimely passing”

Ryuji raised an eyebrow at Akechi, “Dude how do you even know that stuff?”

“I helped to investigate his case,” the detective replied. “I was new at the job at the time, though, so I actually don’t know too much about him and his family.”

Ren let out a short sigh. “Yeah. Kurusu Junpei was his father. Anyway the mementos request said that recently he's been acting strange and taking out his anger on the members of the school orchestra”

Ann pumped her fists enthusiastically, “Okay, so we’ll go to Mementos and beat some sense into him! Sounds simple”

“Not exactly. I checked on the Meta-Nav and it turns out he has a palace.”

Morgana leapt from his seat on Futaba’s lap onto the table. “What?? How does some music whiz kid have desires warped enough to create a whole palace?”

Haru looked at Ren concerned, “And you want to infiltrate this palace?”

Ren glanced up at her and looked away quickly to his phone, “Yeah, and I would appreciate your guys' help.”

Makoto’s brow was furrowed, “Why go so far to help a stranger? To be completely honest, I don’t quite see how this situation warrants a change of heart.”

“That, and we don’t exactly have time to infiltrate another palace when we haven’t even finished this one yet,” Futaba chimed in.

Ren met eyes with Makoto, “He isn’t a stranger. Though, maybe he’s becoming one to me,” He turned to Futaba, “I actually think his palace would be more like your’s than the other ones we’ve been through.”

Suddenly, Ren got up from his usual seat and bowed, creating a perfect 90 degree angle between his upper and lower body. “Please. This is extremely personal to me, and I wanted to do this before the Phantom Thieves were officially disbanded. I know it’s a selfish request, but if I could get everyone’s help on this I’d be truly grateful.”

“D-dude okay we get it, you don’t have to bow to us like that” Ryuji held his hands up, lost for any more words. Everyone in the room was visibly taken aback, they had never seen their confident and suave leader look so vulnerable before. And despite him helping out the Thieves with their own variations of problems, Ren had never opened up to them past what got him there in Tokyo: his criminal record. Which, in hindsight, wasn’t much at all

“If it is that important to you, I have no qualms about assisting” Yusuke looked contemplative, “After all you have done for us as both a leader and a friend, the least we could do is help you in your own time of need.”

“Agreed,” Haru smiled at Ren supportingly.

“No problems here either!” Ryuji shot a thumbs up at his friend who returned a small, genuine grin back. 

Ann nodded enthusiastically, making an affirmative noise while Futaba playfully punched him on his shoulder, smile on her face.

Makoto’s brow was still furrowed but then relaxed to an accepting smile, “If helping you with this is a way to pay you back for everything you’ve done for us, then I’ll gladly help.”

Akechi had his hand on his chin in his signature thoughtful pose. “Who exactly is this Kurusu Akira to you, Joker?”

Ren’s expression grew unreadable. “Well, if we go into his palace, I’m sure you’ll find out, but if not, I would actually prefer to keep that to myself.”

The detective rose an eyebrow in surprise. “Hmm, I suppose this creates an opportunity to learn more about our esteemed leader before it all comes to an end. And we did clear Sae-san’s palace quite quickly. There doesn’t seem to be a reason not to undertake the task in the end, provided we finish this palace as timely as we did this last one.”

“Then it’s decided!” Ann jumped up. “Let’s get guessing at those keywords!”

Ren gave a smile of gratitude, then turned to his phone, sheepish, “I uh actually figured them out already”

The not-cat on the table gave a surprised yowl, “Wha- when did you have the time for that? I’m basically with you 24/7!”

“You were asleep.” Joker activated the Nav. “Kurusu Akira. Tokyo. Circus.”

_ Candidate found. Beginning navigation. _


	2. Genesis 4:10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.”

“AHH” 

The Phantom Thieves found themselves falling from the height of the attic as if the floor had disappeared from under them. One by one, they hit and rolled down a large tarp-like canvas that broke their fall, landing roughly onto a dirt floor. Joker, silent as always, tumbled into his landing and onto his feet with a flourish, glasses gleaming in the moonlight. The others piled atop each other in an ungraceful heap of bodies behind him. 

Ryuji lay on the bottom of the pile, head and arms sticking out. “DUDE. Give a guy some warning!” 

The rest of the thieves groaned, stumbling out to their feet and dusting off their clothes which, noticeably, were unchanged.

Ren’s hand found itself at the back of his neck. “Sorry, I guess I’m feeling a little jumpy about this,” he replied sheepishly. 

Yusuke brushed his sleeves, trying to get dirt out of his white uniform. “To think one can have a distortion that would encompass the entirety of Tokyo.” He glared at the ground looking like he wanted retribution for his ruined shirt, “This Kurusu character must be quite deluded.”

Unexpectedly, a gruff voice called out, “Hey, this area is for cast members only!”

A tall, dark figure in a leotard was striding to the group holding a lit rod-like torch threateningly. On its face was a white mask with empty holes for eyes and a red painted smile.

Ryuji was the first to reach for his mask and balked when he grabbed empty air.

“Shit! We can’t fight shadows without our personas!”

Mona jumped up and transformed into his car form. “We gotta run!” he yowled.

The shadow raised the flaming baton and  into its .. mouth? It raised its arms. “Woah there, I mean no harm,” it said placatingly, “Just allow me to escort you out of the premises and we’ll forget this ever happened, alright?”

The thieves all blinked in surprise and shared bewildered looks. This was the first time a shadow had been ... nice to them?

“May I see your tickets?” The masked shadow looked at the Mona-bus confusedly, “The bus doesn’t have one, I’m guessing. Pets are free after all.”

Ren glanced at the team, and seeing their bewilderment slowly rising into panic, decided to take a risk.

The leader strode forward, exuding charisma and charm usually reserved for his Joker persona. 

Makoto leaned towards his ear, “Joker, what are you planning?” She whispered. 

He gave a reassuring smirk, “I’ve been told Akira and I look strikingly similar,” he said low enough that the shadow wouldn’t hear. 

He turned to the shadow waiting patiently for tickets and projected his voice confidently, “No need for that, they are my guests for the night.”

The shadow blinked and gasped in realization. “Y-young master Akira! My apologies, I didn’t recognize you outside of costume,” the shadow made out flustered. It bowed deeply and continued in a subdued tone, “I shall leave you to it then. I look forward to your performance tonight!”

The Phantom Thieves all breathed a sigh of relief, glad that they were out of immediate danger. 

“Thank you” 

“...”

Joker hadn’t spoken. 

The normally fearless leader blanched and turned to the entrance of the tent they crashed onto where the voice had resounded from. A figure came out of the shadows, wearing a form fitting black leotard with red striped accents down his legs underneath the long coattails of a high quality gray tuxedo coat. Eye catching maroon gloves adorned slim fingers and a pair of black heeled boots carried long legs forward, both accessories reminiscent of a certain wildcard. He had his hair slicked back, handsomely framing a pair of piercing yellow eyes absent of the signature glasses usually seen on that face. 

It was the shadow of Kurusu Akira himself, looking much more than “strikingly similar” to his imposter. 

Everyone other than the two identical figures were thrown for a loop - faces, headlights, and mask all turned back and forth between them. 

Akira’s shadow chuckled as he strode forward to stand beside the masked shadow and patted his back. 

“Don’t look so shocked,” he said placatingly. “Though it isn’t quite common knowledge, I do have a twin brother.” 

He shot a pointed look at Ren. “And we have a bad habit of pretending to be each other to get out of sticky situations.”

Although the shadow was virtually identical to Ren, something about the way he held himself screamed danger. The imposing figure sauntered towards the Thieves, coming face to face with Joker. He clicked his tongue at him wagging a finger, “You shouldn’t be hiding things from your friends, you know.”

He appraised each confidant with a calculating gaze then snapped disconcerting yellow eyes back to gray ones. The shadow stepped back, placing his fingers on his chin in an imitation of a detective’s pose.

“Or perhaps they aren’t truly your friends,” Akira‘s voice remained playfully detached as he continued to address his counterpart. His heeled boots made no noise as they started circling around the dirt Joker stood on. 

“So afraid of being discarded after your worth runs out that before you can be used, you use others first, what a clever strategy,” he mused, “You hide behind a mask, showing a different face to each and every one of your ‘friends’ in order to gain the most out of them.”

“That’s bullshit!” Ryuji butted in, shaking himself from his stupor, “We all got bonds with this dude and it ain’t none of that shallow shit you’re saying!”

The outburst went ignored. 

Unnerving golden eyes closed briefly in thought and their owner stopped his circling, putting himself back to back with his identical counterpart. “You’re so afraid of rejection to the point that you’ve even distanced yourself from the brother you once shared everything with,” he sneered. 

The shadow whirled back around to face Ren, coattails fluttering in the dramatic movement. 

“I understand why you would be scared, though,” he continued, “That fear is what led us to kill our father, after all.”

Ren startled and stumbled backwards. “Th-that wasn’t our fault! He died from an accident-”

“That we caused. It all makes sense now, doesn’t it?” Akira’s smirk twisted into a maniacal grin, “The mental breakdowns, shutdowns.”

“Shut up, it’s unrelated!” Gray eyes behind glasses squeezed shut as his fists clenched.

“We _started_ it! _We_ are the _cau_ -”

Ren’s fist went slamming into the smug face in front of him. Gasps scattered through the gathered group and faded to a shocked pause.

Akira’s shadow sneered as he spat a mixture of saliva and blood from where teeth cut the inside of his cheek.

“Pathetic”

Faraway circus music was playing, too faint to have been noticeable until that moment, and became deafening in the resounding silence. 

Coattails flapped again as the shadow turned and started walking away on a dirt road connecting scattered tents. Every thief stood still, processing the events that had just unfolded. 

Before Akira’s shadow could get too far, though, the forgotten masked shadow was joined by three others, all of them deftly spinning flaming batons. The initial shadow re-lit its own baton and pointed it towards Shadow Akira‘s retreating back. 

“Follow him.”

With no means to defend themselves against hostile enemies, the group shook themselves free of their thoughts and followed.

 

***

 

Akira’s shadow led them on a path through the blocks of identical tents to a stairway underneath a LED sign reading, “PLEASE COME AGAIN :)” The Phantom Thieves had gathered in a cluster next to Shadow Akira, Mona back in humanoid cat form on top of Skull’s head, trying to catch a glimpse of what exactly they had been led to.

Together, the masked shadows lifted their feet and kicked the group roughly down the stairs. 

“Here’s the exit,” Akira called out, “You lot will never be a threat to me, so feel free to come back another time to enjoy the show. 

“Just behave yourselves next time,” he finished with a smirk. His retreating back was flanked by his shadows as he faded from sight. 

Dazed, the Phantom Thieves pulled themselves off the ground and sat up on the floor of a seemingly ordinary subway. With a sigh, Ren dragged his hand down his face and rested his head between his knees. 

“I owe you guys an explanation.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ren got murdered lmao
> 
> Uhh so I’m a horrible person that can’t do things in a timely manner whoops. It took a 12 hour plane ride with nothing to do to get me to get my butt in gear. On that note, though, I’m in Japan! I have a lot of downtime on trains, so hopefully I update a bit earlier than a month and a half later. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone that left kudos and commented!

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is my first fic, so I hope you enjoyed it! I'm thinking of making this go a shuake route or Hifumi/pego or both, but I'm open to suggestions and might even just end up making it gen. Idk what I'm doing so please feel free to help me out in the comments. Also feel free to follow me on twitter @inariin even though I suck at remembering I have one.


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